Well, there goes another month! We had a great AGM, with a Bastille Day themed evening of entertainment to follow.  After we’d discussed and voted on Agenda items the committee was dissolved to make way for the election of the new one.  Steve Lovie became Chairman of the election and ran a tight ship to vote in the 2022/23 committee.  The formalities out of the way we launched into raffles, competitions, quizzes and excellent nibbles before closing the meeting at 10.00PM.  It was late and we were tired, but we’d had a great night!
So, now we have to look forwards to the next year of working with our bees and making the most of what nature throws at us.  Hopefully we will all get to enjoy our delightful hobby and reap the benefits of our bees' produce.  We currently have 73  paid up members out of 140 prior to the current round of renewals – If you haven’t yet done so, please remember to renew your membership. 
With the varroa mite incursion it is now more important than ever to be a club member, and to encourage non-registered beekeepers to become registered.  The club is now part of a communication system to pass on information about the varroa outbreak and the authority’s reaction to it.  There will be a biweekly meeting of the Victorian Beekeepers Association from which this information will flow.  Currently, the NSW authorities are looking for volunteers to help with hive inspections and other biosecurity activity.  This entails a week in NSW as a temporary employee of the agriculture department, during which all travel, accommodation and (I’m sure I heard right) wages.  People who had volunteered, or were volunteering, all said that it was well worthwhile and recommended volunteering, if at all possible.  There are links on the VBA website, and we’ll be developing our own information strategy to keep everyone in the loop.
Enjoy your preparations for next season!
 
Andy Teitge
President
South Gippsland Beekeepers Club